Sunday, September 14, 2008

Ozzie goes English

Since getting Ozzie back from the "trainer" I have been trying to get some weight put back on him. I also have been trying to exercise him so he can start building muscle. Because for all I know, for the 6 weeks that Ozzie was with the "trainer" all they did was walk. And let me tell ya, Ozzie sure is broke at the walk. That definitely is Ozzie's comfort zone. Since we took our round pen down for hurricane purposes I have been forced to actually lunge my horse. It is a good thing. It makes me work a bit.

So, here we are at a walk. He is very relaxed and comfortable. Oh, and I put on my dressage saddle on him to see how he would do with an English saddle on. He didn't mind it one bit. It is definitely his comfort zone. We trotted and cantered this direction and then turned around. This way is just the same. An easy going walk. I sometimes have to convince him to walk a bit faster. He is lazy with a capital L. Then we picked up the pace a bit. Ozzie is a great trotter. He stays pretty relaxed at the trot. He does go a bit fast at first but then he calms down and settles into his 20 meter circle. Then it's hold on tight, it's time for the canter. He defiantly has not done this in a while. He used to lope off so nice and quiet. Oh how things have changed. He pulls like crazy and his head is all up and his back is all sorts of hallow. Ozzie likes to suck towards the barn. Like a magnetic pull. It draws him towards the barn. And then all I have to do to make him stop is say, "Whoa". Ozzie is really easy to stop. He will park it and then take one small step to the inside and look at me. He will wait like this for as long as I stand and stare at him. "Why hello there Mom! What are we doing next?" "Uhm...Mom? What ya doing?" What a fabulous shot of an ill fitting halter! And I went to college for this!! I did take the halter up two holes and it fit him just fine. I like my halters to fit snug under the throat and then right below the cheek bone. Ozzie is so sweet. He will almost put his nose in the dirt so that Little Cowpoke can take his halter off of him. Ozzie has wonderful eyes. He always looks so kind and soft. Ozzie is really a laid back three year old. Now if I could just get some weight on him I would be in business. After I lunged him I took him to the hose for a quick shower. Ozzie has never minded water. He just doesn't want it to get his face wet. But I don't ever listen to him. Ozzie always gets his face wet. "Please no, not my face!!! I hate to get my face wet!!" You know Ozzie is worried when he shows you the white in his eye. He soon calms down when I move with the hose further away from his head. Ozzie is really wonderful at ground tying. He doesn't even get tempted to eat. I think he looks happy to be home. He gets fed twice a day with hay and then he gets 8 hours of turn out a day. But he does have to work. I lunge him every morning and I ride him at night. We gotta work on those rump muscles. I think I have put a good 50 lbs on him since I got him home. You now can not count every single rib. You can still see some but not all of them. I put Ozzie on a low protein high fat diet. He gets Purina's Horse Chow 100 mixed with Purina's Amplify supplement. Then those are mixed with Country Acre's 12% pellet feed. He has to have some protein. Oh, and I almost forgot. He also gets some beet pulp. I tried to feed him some bran but he won't eat it. So, he gets beet pulp. He loves it. I think it has put some meat on his bones. I don't think he looks half bad. At least now he has a nice grass belly. I like a little belly, on my horse. I wish my little belly would go away. Except mine is not little, hee hee. Ozzie and I need to be on opposite diets. Oh, speaking of diets. I was at the feed store and an old country man told me if I wanted to put weight on my horse, I needed to feed him day old bred. My horse would be so fat and happy if I would feed him bread. All I could think of was how I felt after I ate way too much bread and then drank some water. Talk about bloated. I am not sure if feeding bread works or not, but when I came home I told my father in law and he said that it does work. I don't think I will ever know. I am not about to go out an buy old bread. Cowpokette likes to play in the dirt while I lunge Ozzie. She is a country girl to the bone. She loves to play in the dirt, mud, bugs, anything you name it. Shoes? What shoes? Who needs shoes? She is a good barn babe! Next time I will have to post some pictures of me riding Ozzie English. Let me tell ya, it wasn't pretty. I felt like I was all over the place. It's been about 2 years since my rump has been in an English saddle. Next time I do ride, I am going to put my close contact saddle on him, not that uncomfy dressage saddle. I will also try to find some pictures I have of Ozzie while he was with the "trainer" so you can see the weight difference.

**Don't mind my horrible cropping of photos, don't even begin to ask what I was trying to do. I really have no idea!!**

Ozzie is a cutie. He looks so young yet! What a great face and kind eye he has. Darn glad he is home with his Momma where he NEEDS to be! ;) I have heard about the old bread thing too... and never tried it. Sounds like you are on the right track to me, with his diet!

Ozzie is looking great! You go girl! I'm so glad he is home with ya! He does have a nice eye!

Glad you survived Ike! We did as well and have been cleaning up branches, limbs, we do have a tree down on the fence at the back of the pasture. Got to wait for hubby to help me with that! Well be calling the insurance company first thing in the morning about the barn. So know we are waiting on doing anything to it, you never know how that want it! Glad you all are okay, I'm sure glad it is gone.

When I read your blog, I learn that I just don't know so much. I love that you know how a halter should properly fit. I love hearing you talk about where his head should be, getting him into different speeds, etc. You really sound like you know what you're talking about. I was just sitting here thinking, "Hmm. Should I take some classes at the university?" :)

The eye picture was awesome! He looks so sweet. I'm still not liking that trainer you had! He won't be going back, will he?